BBC First to launch on OSN

OSN will be the exclusive home to BBC First in the Middle East and North Africa from February 1st.

The new channel will replace the pan-regional BBC Entertainment channel with increased investment in content and key titles introduced with Arabic subtitles.

BBC First will show British premium drama, with two hours of award-winning primetime programming featuring Arabic subtitles. The new channel will launch with popular series such as Sherlock and Luther alongside the BBC’s epic new adaptation of War and Peace.
Long-running soap opera EastEnders will also be brought to OSN viewers soon after its UK broadcast.

Natasha Hussain, Vice President and General Manager for Middle East and Mediterranean at BBC Worldwide, said: “The BBC has a strong reputation for its outstanding drama programming. I’m delighted viewers in the Middle East and North Africa will soon be able to enjoy the most popular and critically acclaimed dramas coming out of the UK express from their original transmission.”

Emad Marcos, senior vice president – media partners and digital, OSN, said: “The addition of BBC First builds on our commitment to bring exclusive content for our subscribers and underlines the exceptional portfolio of programming that we offer to our subscribers in 2016. This is the first of several exciting new premium additions to OSN being announced in the first quarter of this year and reaffirms that we are the number one destination for premium content in the region. We work with outstanding channel partners to bring the very best content.”